Written Answers Thursday 26 January 2006

Scottish Executive

Central Heating Programme

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the central heating programme will continue beyond 2006.

Malcolm Chisholm: The central heating programmes in their current format will come to an end this year, however, new programmes will be announced shortly which will continue until at least 2008 and the next spending review.

Child Protection

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were issued with a fiscal warning as a result of Operation Ore.

Colin Boyd QC: While charges relating to Operation Ore cannot be identified separately on the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database from other charges relating to the making of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children and other related offences, analysis of the figures relating to all charges reported in relation to the most relevant statutory offences under Sections 51 or 52 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 shows that very few such charges have been dealt with by the issue of a fiscal warning. Of the 461 accused persons reported for such charges in the period April 2002 to March 2005, only five were dealt with by means of a warning and none were dealt with by way of fiscal warning in 2004-05.

Council Tax

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with South Ayrshire Council regarding its projected financial deficit for 2006-07 and the implications this has for council tax payers.

Mr Tom McCabe: I am not aware of any recent discussions with South Ayrshire on the subject of any projected financial deficit, however, I have been involved in discussions with COSLA on a range of issues including the wider financial circumstances facing local authorities.

Debt

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many licensed debt collectors operate in Scotland and how many complaints have been made against them in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to licensing of debt collectors. Licensing of debt collectors is a reserved matter dealt with by the Office of Fair Trading.

Economy

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Gross Value Added was in each year since 1950.

Nicol Stephen: A consistent series of Scottish Gross Value Added is not available for the requested time period. Table 1 below presents Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Scotland based on factor incomes from 1971 to 1996.

  The factor incomes series of GDP was discontinued following the introduction of the 1993 System of National Accounts and replaced with GDP at basic prices (Gross Value Added). The principal difference between the two valuations is the inclusion of net taxes on production within basic price estimates.

  Table 2 below presents Scottish Gross Value Added at current basic prices for the period 1989 to 2004.

  These estimates of GDP/GVA are presented in cash terms in millions of pounds at current prices. The implied growth rates differ from those published in the Quarterly GDP for Scotland series as the latter is presented at constant prices to remove the effect of inflation.

  Table 1: Gross Domestic Product for Scotland 1971-96 by Factor Incomes at Current Basic Prices

  

Year
GDP
(£ Million)
Year
GDP
(£ Million)
Year
GDP
(£ Million)


1971 
4,350
1980 
16,683
1989 
36,253


1972 
4,906
1981 
18,350
1990 
40,231


1973 
5,815
1982 
19,849
1991 
42,232


1974 
6,642
1983 
21,795
1992 
44,589


1975 
8,520
1984 
22,847
1993 
46,840


1976 
10,084
1985 
25,223
1994 
49,720


1977 
11,445
1986 
27,263
1995 
52,518


1978 
12,780
1987 
29,785
1996 
54,430


1979 
14,578
1988 
32,975
 
 



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Table 2: Gross Value Added for Scotland 1989-2004 at current basic prices

  

Year
GDP
(£ Million)
Year
GDP
(£ Million)


1989 
 39,280 
1997
 60,755 


1990 
 42,934 
1998
 63,203 


1991 
 45,364 
1999
 65,160 


1992 
 47,489 
2000
 67,399 


1993 
 49,782 
2001
 70,210 


1994 
 52,807 
2002
 74,095 


1995 
 55,413 
2003
 78,504 


1996 
 58,060 
2004*
 82,050 



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  *Provisional Estimate.

Economy

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Gross Value Added was spent on public services in each year since 1950.

Nicol Stephen: A consistent series of Scottish Gross Value Added is not available for the requested time period. Moreover, data which would allow a direct measurement of the contribution of publicly-funded organisations to overall Gross Value Added (GVA) are not currently available. The following tables provide the best proxy measure of value added by the public services and their contribution to the total.

  Table 1 presents the value added in Scotland by the industry sectors most associated with the production of public services in Scotland – Public Administration, Defence, Health, Education and Social Work – in value terms and also as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These estimates are presented in terms of factor incomes at current prices and so include the effect of inflation. It is not possible to exclude the activities of the private and non-profit sector within these industry sectors or to include the contribution of public services to other industrial sectors.

  Table 1: Scottish GDP at Factor Cost, £ Millions at Current Prices, 1982-96

  

Year
Total GDP 
at Factor Cost
Public Admin. and Defence
Education, Social Work and Health Services
Public Admin., Defence, Health, Education and Social Work as a percentage of total


1982
19,849
1,585
2,189
19%


1983
21,795
1,736
2,469
19%


1984
22,847
1,874
2,564
19%


1985
25,223
2,006
2,755
19%


1986
27,263
2,148
3,164
19%


1987
29,785
2,327
3,513
20%


1988
32,975
2,514
3,998
20%


1989
36,253
2,690
4,900
21%


1990
40,231
2,979
5,514
21%


1991
42,232
3,170
6,217
22%


1992
44,589
3,261
6,524
22%


1993
46,840
3,522
6,787
22%


1994
49,720
3,528
7,439
22%


1995
52,518
3,562
7,925
22%


1996
54,430
3,709
8,250
22%



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  The factor incomes series of GDP was discontinued following the introduction of the 1993 System of National Accounts and replaced with GDP at basic prices (Gross Value Added). The principal difference between the two valuations is the inclusion of net taxes on production within basic price estimates.

  Table 2 presents Gross Value Added for these public service-related industry sectors in millions of pounds at current basic prices for the period, 1989 to 2003. Again, the activities of the private and non-sector organisations within these sectors are included in these estimates of value added.

  Table 2: Scottish GDP, £ Millions at Current Basic Prices, 1989-2003

  

Year
Total GVA 
at 
Current Basic Prices
Public Administration and Defence
Education, Social Work and Health Services
Public Admin, Defence, Health, Education and Social Work as a percentage of total


1989
 39,280 
2,866
5,292
21%


1990
 42,934 
3,153
5,792
21%


1991
 45,364 
3,340
6,387
21%


1992
 47,489 
3,437
6,783
22%


1993
 49,782 
3,554
7,098
21%


1994
 52,807 
3,532
7,453
21%


1995
 55,413 
3,630
7,829
21%


1996
 58,060 
3,864
7,979
20%


1997
 60,755 
3,951
8,195
20%


1998
 63,203 
4,058
8,415
20%


1999
 65,160 
4,361
8,859
20%


2000
 67,399 
4,695
9,431
21%


2001
 70,210 
4,970
10,066
21%


2002
 74,095 
5,294
10,760
22%


2003
 78,504 
5,671
11,413
22%



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Education

Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to enhance the status of vocational education.

Peter Peacock: The Determined to Succeed strategy, which aims to better prepare young people for the world of work and life together with the new Skills for Work courses being developed, and improved school and college links are all designed to widen vocational opportunities for our young people.

Emergency Planning

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has invested in civil contingency planning in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: Civil contingency planning is part of the core business of each local responder with responsibility for planning and responding to emergencies. Resources are provided to responder organisations through general funding mechanisms.

  The Executive provides general funding to local authorities for all local services, including civil contingency planning, through the annual local government finance settlements.

  Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 the Strategic Co-ordinating Groups (based on Police areas) have responsibility to work together to plan for and respond to emergencies in their area. Further civil contingencies funding is available to support implementation of the Civil Contingencies Act and promote co-ordination between local responders within and between the eight Strategic Co-ordinating Groups across Scotland.

  Civil Contingencies Funding

  

Year
Funding
(000)


1999-2000
£2,250


2000-01
£2,250


2001-02
£2,250


2002-03
£2,412


2003-04
£2,750


2004-05
£2,734


2005-06
£2,098


2006-07
£2,578


2007-08
£2,708



  From 2005-06 onwards, the civil contingencies budget does not include £1m which is given direct to the Met Office as part of consolidated funding process.

  Information on Civil Contingencies funding is not available broken down by local authority area.

  In agreement with COSLA the civil defence grant has formed part of local government core funding since 2001. An identified amount within that budget (£574,000) was used to fund key Police emergency planning roles in strategic areas across Scotland. From 2005-06 the equivalent amount was transferred to police Central Government and will be apportioned to police authorities in consultation with Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

  Civil Defence Grant

  

Year
Funding
(000)


1999-2000
£2,700


2000-01
£2,700


2001-02
£574


2002-03
£574


2003-04
£574


2004-05
£574


2005-06
-


2006-07
-


2007-08
-

Emergency Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) police and (b) fire stations have closed in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held in the format requested or for all of the time periods stipulated. I refer the member to the answers to questions, S2W-9973 on 9 September 2004, S2W-10733, on 29 September 2004, and S2W-17970 on 16 August 2005.

  All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Employment

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each year since 1950, broken down by industry.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for public sector employment estimates is the public sector employment statistics series, which is based on the agreed National Accounts definition of the public sector. These estimates are constructed from administrative and survey data from public sector organisations. However, this only provides data on the public sector from 1999. The latest published public sector employment series for Scotland can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/12105647/0

  Employment data are available for all industries in the public and private sector from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is known to overestimate public sector employment due to the fact that individuals classify themselves as public or private sector workers. This means that individuals may classify themselves as public sector workers as they work in public sector buildings but are in fact employed by private sector companies. Agency workers, in particular, are typically employed by private sector firms, though they often provide a service within public sector buildings.

  This LFS data for 1994 to 2005 are given in the tables below. Data are not available prior to 1994.

  Table 1: Employment1 in the Private Sector, by Industry2, Scotland

  

Year
Agriculture
and
  Fishing
Energy
and
  Water
Manufacturing
Construction
Distribution,
Hotels and 
Restaurants
Transport
and
Communication
Banking,
Finance
and 
  Insurance etc.
Public Admin., 
Education 
and 
Health
Other Services


1994
70,000
41,000
369,000
161,000
414,000
89,000
232,000
101,000
84,000


1995
54,000
49,000
358,000
138,000
431,000
100,000
232,000
109,000
92,000


1996
57,000
47,000
381,000
147,000
426,000
110,000
223,000
108,000
85,000


1997
58,000
47,000
374,000
140,000
456,000
121,000
233,000
112,000
82,000


1998
51,000
44,000
376,000
148,000
437,000
127,000
258,000
126,000
75,000


1999
43,000
50,000
332,000
156,000
448,000
130,000
268,000
129,000
87,000


2000
54,000
57,000
326,000
164,000
450,000
136,000
249,000
120,000
95,000


2001
55,000
61,000
335,000
160,000
441,000
135,000
273,000
136,000
92,000


2002
40,000
54,000
303,000
150,000
449,000
133,000
322,000
139,000
91,000


2003
44,000
52,000
292,000
161,000
456,000
150,000
316,000
153,000
96,000


2004
32,000
56,000
276,000
179,000
480,000
137,000
305,000
161,000
99,000


2005
36,000
72,000
276,000
174,000
458,000
143,000
306,000
159,000
92,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarters.

  Notes:

  1. Employment is defined as those 16 and over who are either an employee, self-employed, on a government training scheme or an unpaid family worker.

  2. Industry groupings are based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.

  3. Levels rounded to the nearest thousand.

  4. Totals may not equal the sum of individual parts due to rounding.

  5. Those who could not be placed into a sector and industry were removed from the analysis.

  Table 2: Employment1 in the Public Sector2, by Industry3, Scotland

  

Year
Public Administration
and Defence
Education
Health and
Social Work
Other


1994
160,000
152,000
183,000
174,000


1995
151,000
156,000
197,000
181,000


1996
131,000
148,000
199,000
155,000


1997
143,000
146,000
194,000
139,000


1998
141,000
138,000
200,000
148,000


1999
141,000
168,000
187,000
112,000


2000
161,000
164,000
190,000
123,000


2001
166,000
165,000
195,000
118,000


2002
192,000
172,000
182,000
103,000


2003
179,000
167,000
201,000
111,000


2004
168,000
183,000
196,000
121,000


2005
168,000
190,000
221,000
102,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarters.

  Notes:

  1. Employment is defined as those 16 and over who are either an employee, self-employed, on a government training scheme or an unpaid family worker.

  2. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) over-estimates the size of the public sector. The LFS is not the preferred source for public sector employment statistics as it does not classify workers in line with the UK National Accounts definition.

  3. Industry groupings are based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.

  4. Levels rounded to the nearest thousand.

  5. Totals may not equal the sum of individual parts due to rounding.

  6. Those who could not be placed into a sector and industry were removed from the analysis.

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5654 by Mr Tom McCabe on 2 February 2004, how many calls there have been to the healthyliving line in each month since January 2004.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of calls to the healthy living advice line between 1 February 2004 and 31 December 2005 are as follows:

  

2004
 2005


 
 
January 
231


February 
491
February 
226


March 
351
March 
265


April 
255
April 
237


May 
308
May 
225


June 
303
June 
200


July 
588
July 
163


August 
917
August 
230


September 
658
September 
249


October 
393
October 
196


November 
292
November 
170


December 
136
December 
105

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been registered with a GP in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The table shows the number of patients registered with a GP 1 for all Scotland; 1999-2005.

  

Year
Patients Registered with a GP


1999
5,365,480


2000
5,347,041


2001
5,352,543


2002
5,345,042


2003
5,347,881


2004
5,373,797


2005
5,389,979



  Source: Community Health Index (CHI) extract, Practitioner Services Division (PSD), NHS National Services Scotland.

  Note: 1. Figures are as at 1 October each year.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many diagnoses of high cholesterol there have been in each year since 1999 and how many of these diagnoses were made of people under the age of 18, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Higher Education

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates from Scottish universities there were in (a) physics, (b) chemistry, (c) biology, (d) mathematics, (e) computing, (f) English and (g) business studies, or related subjects, in each of the last five years.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of graduates from Scottish Higher Education Institutions in the seven specified subjects are shown in the following table.

  Graduates from Scottish Higher Education Institutions by specified subject 1999-2000 to 2003-04

  

Academic Year
Total
Postgraduate
First degree
Other HE


(a) Physics
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
365
65
295
5


2000-01
380
65
310
5


2001-02
310
70
245
0


2002-03
325
70
245
10


2003-04
330
60
260
10


(b) Chemistry
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
690
225
430
35


2000-01
620
150
450
15


2001-02
590
155
410
25


2002-03
560
150
380
35


2003-04
525
200
305
20


(c) Biology
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
540
70
425
45


2000-01
650
70
555
30


2001-02
745
95
585
65


2002-03
780
210
505
65


2003-04
790
205
505
80


(d) Mathematics
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
480
100
370
10


2000-01
570
120
440
10


2001-02
505
75
420
10


2002-03
530
75
455
5


2003-04
600
70
510
20


(e) Computing
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
2,005
880
945
180


2000-01
1,760
715
985
60


2001-02
2,660
1,160
1,170
330


2002-03
2,830
1,190
1,310
330


2003-04
2,940
985
1,675
285


(f) English
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
1,050
80
960
5


2000-01
1,110
140
960
15


2001-02
910
85
815
10


2002-03
905
100
800
5


2003-04
940
115
810
15


(g) Business Studies
 
 
 
 


1999-2000
5,035
2,725
2,040
270


2000-01
4,980
2,705
2,075
205


2001-02
5,260
2,345
2,385
530


2002-03
4,700
2,445
1,990
265


2003-04
4,350
2,160
1,870
320



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  The table includes graduates who have studied these topics as a single subject, or as part of a combination of subjects, where the specified topic constituted at least 50% of course content.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new-build affordable housing units have been built in each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  
Information is only available in respect of the number of new-build affordable housing units funded by the Communities Scotland Affordable Housing Investment Programme. This information is not held at parliamentary constituency level. The following table provides the information by local authorities.


  

Local Authority
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Units
Units
Units
Units
Units
Units


Aberdeen City
154
158
107
79
225
145


Aberdeenshire
204
206
193
302
221
147


Angus
123
112
107
93
69
46


Argyll and Bute
130
57
70
79
83
127


City of Edinburgh
699
347
319
234
453
396


Clackmannanshire
0
72
28
50
27
33


Dumfries and Galloway
120
162
96
98
154
188


Dundee City
172
406
312
87
358
281


East Ayrshire
63
72
36
0
36
10


East Dunbartonshire
81
0
10
4
8
142


East Lothian
33
18
30
0
145
47


East Renfrewshire
63
41
60
15
4
0


Falkirk
73
76
34
16
29
70


Fife
257
308
217
197
247
185


Glasgow City
1,593
1,317
1,490
1,382
1,088
1,047


Highland
149
287
176
219
236
236


Inverclyde
106
174
184
110
116
147


Midlothian
28
0
43
14
0
31


Moray
47
34
10
2
92
159


North Ayrshire
87
39
120
71
74
84


North Lanarkshire
389
327
361
179
375
331


Orkney Islands
73
52
74
41
61
43


Perth and Kinross
327
97
146
170
142
390


Renfrewshire
207
173
171
247
337
85


Shetland Islands
37
5
18
7
38
4


South Ayrshire
81
146
95
80
60
70


South Lanarkshire
116
392
127
259
281
250


Stirling
115
107
59
33
91
14


The Scottish Borders
107
107
70
63
3
52


West Dunbartonshire
221
264
55
79
308
81


West Lothian
154
102
90
65
105
54


Western Isles
16
24
34
2
39
47"

Individual Learning Accounts

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made with the re-introduction of individual learning accounts; how many delivery organisations are participating in the scheme; what the breakdown is of participating learners by delivery agent, area and subject; how many employees have participated in the scheme, broken down by size of company and local enterprise company (LEC) area; whether it will provide a breakdown and overall totals of the grants awarded; what outcomes such grants have achieved or are expected to achieve; whether there have been any complaints about the design or delivery of the scheme; which LEC areas are covered by the scheme; what budget has been allocated to the scheme in each of the financial years in which it has been operating; how much has actually been spent in each financial year; what budget has been set aside for the scheme in 2006-07; how many consultants have been involved in the scheme in each LEC area; what the total cost of these consultants has been in each financial year; whether the scheme has been evaluated and, if so, what the outcome was; who undertook any such evaluation and at what cost, and what the Executive’s plans are for the future of the scheme.

Nicol Stephen: Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) were re-introduced in December 2004 with the launch of the ILA Scotland scheme. The first phase of ILA Scotland has made available a funding offer of up to £200 per year (ILA200) to adult learners on low income or on benefits to fund a wide range of learning. A further ILA Scotland funding offer of up to £100 per year (ILA100) was rolled out in August 2005. This can be used to fund computer courses which are at or up to SCQF level 5 and which lead to a qualification or recognised certification.

  There are 208 delivery organisations (learning providers) registered to offer courses. This comprises 10 higher education institutions (HEIs), 44 further education colleges (FECs), 28 community-based providers and 126 private providers.

  Over 100,000 enquiries have been made to the ILA Scotland helpline since the scheme was launched. 24,200 people have opened an Individual Learning Account, 12,200 courses have been booked using ILA funding and nearly 9,000 account holders have already used their ILA funding to undertake learning. There have been 103 complaints in total since the start of the scheme, 45 regarding the design and 58 on delivery. However, there is currently only one opened complaint.

  Breakdown of number of learners by learning provider:

  

Learning Provider 
Number of Learners


@Ccess 2
4


Aberdeen City Council - Community Training Unit
24


Aberdeen College
417


Access North Ayr - Flexible Learning Centre
22


Ad Services (Scotland) Ltd
48


Adam Smith College – Fife College
150


Adelphi Flexible Learning Unit
15


Airhouse Studios
11


Angus College
122


Anniesland College
165


Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre
14


Argyll College
73


Argyll Training (Dunoon)
1


Argyll Training (Lochgilphead)
2


Argyll Training Ltd (Oban)
19


Auchincruive Enterprise Learning Centre
6


Ayr College
261


Badenoch Learning And Resource Centre
5


Balloch Trust Enterprise Ltd
54


Banff And Buchan College Of Further Education
355


Barony College
5


Bc Business Consultants - Hawick
1


Bell College
49


Bestworks Training Ltd
1


Borders College
126


Business Training Services (UK) Ltd
48


Cairellot Learning Centre
10


Cardonald College
306


Castle Douglas Community It Centre Ltd
71


Central College Of Commerce
155


Clackmannanshire Training and Learning Centre
6


Clydebank College
92


Coatbridge College
10


Columba Centre Islay - Ionad Chaluim Chille Ile
1


Cothrom
6


Craibstone Enterprise Learning Centre
22


Cumbernauld College
180


Dumfries and Galloway College
324


Dumfries and Galloway Libraries, Information And Archives
108


Dundee College
141


Dunfermline High School Community Use
30


East Renfrewshire Council - Barrhead Library
23


East Renfrewshire Council - Busby Library
3


East Renfrewshire Council - Clarkston Library
17


East Renfrewshire Council - Mearns Library
20


East Renfrewshire Council - Neilston Library
9


Ec-Pc
19


Edeta (Training Services) Ltd
22


Edinburgh Chamber Of Commerce
5


Edinburgh University Settlement (EUS) Community Learning Centre
1


Elgin Library Learning Centre
196


Elmwood College
90


Evolve International Safety Training Ltd
36


Eyemouth Learning Centre (Elttc)
4


Fife Women’s Technology Centre
8


Forth Valley College - Clackmannan
67


Forth Valley College - Falkirk
188


Glasgow Caledonian University
 


Glasgow College Of Nautical Studies
37


Gosta Training
11


Grainshore Training Centre
3


Gtg Training
55


Hairnet Computer Training
1


Heriot Watt University
3


Instep Initiatives Ltd
10


Interalia
5


Inverness College
179


Itca Ltd
3


Itec Integrations Ltd
1


James Watt College
185


Jewel And Esk Valley College
294


Jhp Edinburgh Business Centre
39


Jhp Group Ltd – Ayr
2


Jhp Group Ltd – Dumfries
11


Jhp Group Ltd - Motherwell
13


Jhp Group Ltd – Stirling
7


Jhp Training Paisley
7


Jim Mair Driver Training
9


John Wheatley College
25


Kilmarnock College
95


Lagta Group Training Ltd
13


Langside College
91


Lauder College
373


Learning It Ltd
5


Lews Castle College
31


Lochaber College
56


Lothian Training And Development
74


May-Tag Ltd.
4


Merkinch Technology Centre
9


Mettech (Grangemouth)
12


Microcom Training Ltd - Coatbridge
42


Microcom Training Ltd - Inverness
7


Minerva People Limited
14


Moray College
92


Motherwell College
159


Mycourse Ltd
46


National Counselling Service
22


National Extension College
16


Nisus Scotland
18


North Glasgow College
34


North Highland College
70


North West Training Centre
4


One36 Computing Ltd
44


Onsite Training Services
11


Orkney College
45


Pct Partnership
4


Perth College
136


Pitman Training - Forres
24


Pitman Training Centre (Edinburgh)
486


Prospects (Glasgow)
19


Reid Kerr College
267


Rewards (Scotland)
36


Ritchies Training Centre
43


Rosemount Lifelong Learning Flexicentre
28


Routes To Work South
20


Sabhal Mor Ostaig
68


Sanctuary Learning Centre Llp
8


Scotnursing Ltd
4


Sibbald Ltd
4


Skye And Lochalsh Learning Centre Network
58


Sos Training And Office Services
50


South Carrick Open Opportunities Project (Scoop)
11


South Lanarkshire College
112


Stevenson College Edinburgh
89


Stow College
66


Success Training (Scotland) Ltd
7


Support Training - Aberdeen
9


Support Training - Perth
15


Support Training Ltd (Shetland)
32


Support Training Ltd (Edinburgh)
12


Support Training Ltd (Orkney)
35


Telford Training And Consultancy Services
3


Tell Organisation
2


Training For Development
10


Training Initiatives Ltd (Tigers)
13


University Of Abertay Dundee
13


University Of Glasgow - Adult And Continuing Education
36


University Of Glasgow - Universal Training Solutions
18


University Of Paisley
62


University Of Strathclyde - Centre For Lifelong Learning
278


User Friendly Computer Services
6


Varis Training (Division Of Varis Engineering Ltd)
1


West Lothian College
206


Total
8,746



  As ILA Scotland is available throughout Scotland, all LEC areas are covered. It has not been possible to provide a breakdown by LEC area or by employer.

  Breakdown by subject:

  

Subject 
Courses Booked


Business; Management; Office Studies
826


Sales Marketing and Retailing
20


Information Technology and Information
6,121


Humanities (History; Archaeology; Religious Studies; Philosophy
43


Politics; Economics; Law; Social Sciences
108


Area Studies; Cultural Studies; Languages; Literature
919


Education; Training; Teaching
427


Family Care; Personal Development; Personal Care and Appearance
703


Arts and Crafts
251


Communication; Media; Publishing
301


Performing Arts
13


Sports Games and Recreation
42


Catering; Food; Leisure Services; Tourism
101


Health Care; Medicine; Health and Safety
924


Environment Protection; Energy; Cleansing; Security
21


Sciences and Mathematics
274


Agriculture Horticulture and Animal Care
88


Construction and Property (Built Environment)
59


Services To Industry and Commerce
20


Manufacturing; Production Work
17


Engineering
100


Logistics; Distribution; Transport; Driving
299


Other
550


Total
12,227



  The total amount of learner funding awarded to date is £1.2 million.

  ILA Scotland is expected to achieve the following policy objectives: to widen participation in adult learning by increasing interest and uptake; to introduce new learners to adult learning and to provide an opportunity for those who have not recently participated in learning to do so; to encourage more learning progression; to encourage individuals to invest in (and take ownership of) their own learning; to prioritise the learning needs of certain groups of learners (in particular those on low incomes), and to support the development of a quality learning provider base in Scotland.

  Budget allocated and actual spend by financial year:

  

 
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


Budget Allocated
£18.8 million
£19.3 million
£19.3 million


Actual Spend
£4.95 million
£4.3 million 
-



  There have been no consultants involved in ILA Scotland in the LEC areas.

  Independent evaluation of the scheme is under way. A report of the first phase of evaluation will be published later this year. The British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) Scotland has been contracted to carry out evaluation of the scheme with learners. The total value of the contract is £135,125 inclusive of VAT. The Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning (CRLL) at Glasgow Caledonian University has been contracted to carry out evaluation of the scheme with learning providers and intermediary groups. The total value of the contract is £61,443 inclusive of VAT.

  The outcomes of the evaluation, along with feedback from regular liaison with stakeholder and user groups, will inform policy review of ILA Scotland during 2006 and shape the future development of the scheme.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who had been placed in custody have reoffended in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons Released from a Custodial Sentence in 1997-2001 by Approximate Local Authority Area1: Number Reconvicted Within Two Years2

  

Approximate Local Authority Area
Number Reconvicted Within Two Years


1997
1998
1999
2000
2001


Aberdeen3
185
184
175
149
163


Angus 
54
55
41
57
53


Argyll and Bute
45
38
29
25
28


Ayrshire4
323
305
402
394
435


Clackmannanshire
26
21
25
23
21


Dumfries and Galloway
97
81
98
88
117


Dundee City
112
143
122
132
152


East Lothian
24
28
22
15
22


Edinburgh5
327
305
307
319
326


Eilean Siar
12
10
12
12
9


Falkirk
83
85
96
59
92


Fife 
196
183
145
125
134


Glasgow6
1,166
1,071
1,049
909
914


Highland
101
99
74
106
110


Inverclyde
134
150
128
125
136


Lanarkshire7
252
245
195
216
226


Moray 
37
29
28
25
38


Orkney Islands
5
*
*
*
*


Perth and Kinross
56
55
47
51
56


Renfrewshire8
176
172
153
131
139


Scottish Borders
36
28
34
35
59


Shetland Islands
8
*
*
*
*


Stirling
49
38
26
27
42


West Lothian
60
42
45
34
48


Scotland9
3,780
3,581
3,443
3,300
3,592



  Notes:

  1. Whilst local authority and court areas are not co-terminous, the segregation in this answer represents the best approximation to local authority data.

  2. Convictions where the main offence involved was a crime in groups one to five of the Scottish Executive Justice Department’s classification of crimes and offences or the offences of simple assault, breach of the peace, racially aggravated harassment or conduct, miscellaneous firearms offences and social security offences.

  3. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire (Aberdeen, Banff, Stonehaven and Peterhead Sheriff Courts).

  4. North, South and East Ayrshire (Kilmarnock and Ayr Sheriff Courts).

  5. City of Edinburgh and Midlothian (Edinburgh Sheriff Court).

  6. Glasgow City, East and West Dunbartonshire (Glasgow and Dumbarton Sheriff Courts and Stipendiary Magistrates).

  7. North and South Lanarkshire (Airdrie, Hamilton and Lanark Sheriff Courts).

  8. Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire (Paisley Sheriff Court).

  9. Includes High Court and Remit to High.

  *Relating to numbers less than five.

Justice

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions court proceedings have been disrupted or abandoned because an accused person in custody was not taken to the right court, on the right day, at the right time, in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

  There is only one recorded instance of proceedings being deserted as a result of an accused person in custody not being brought before the court.

  Local monitoring reports in the Sheriff Court and High Court of Justiciary for the six month period, April to September 2005, indicate there were 15 instances of court business being delayed as a result of prisoners arriving late at court.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of individuals convicted of violent assault since 1999 have reoffended within one year of their release.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons Released from a Custodial Sentence or Given a Non-Custodial Sentence in 1999-2002 Whose Index Conviction1 was for a Violent Crime: Percentage Reconvicted Within One Year

  

 
Percentage Reconvicted Within 1 Year


1999
2000
2001
2002


All Violent Crime
22
24
23
24


Serious assault and homicide2
16
18
20
19


Robbery
36
37
35
39


Simple assault
22
24
23
24


Other Violence
17
18
22
21



  Notes:

  1. For each offender in the cohort, this is the conviction which resulted in a non-custodial sentence being served or the one which had originally led to a custodial sentence being served.

  2. Includes murder, culpable homicide, attempted murder and serious assault.

Legislation

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the elevation of Baroness Clark of Calton to the Scottish bench, it will instigate discussions with HM Government in respect of any adjustment needed to the position and responsibilities of the Advocate General.

Cathy Jamieson: The Advocate General for Scotland is a member of the UK Government. The Office is established under the Scotland Act 1998. It is for the UK Government to determine whether any adjustment is required to the position and responsibilities. Any alteration in the position would require to be consistent with the Scotland Act.

Mental Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated for the provision of mental health services in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: No specific allocation is made to NHS boards for the provision of mental health services. The level of expenditure on mental health and all other care services is determined by each NHS board from within their share of the record resources made available to NHSScotland.

  In addition, grants of £20 million are paid to local authorities by the Scottish Executive under the Mental Health Specific Grant scheme.

Mental Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is to the economy arising from mental illness.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has not made an estimate of the cost to the economy of mental illness.

  The direct costs of treatment services provided by NHS Scotland are £625,531,000.

Ministerial Costs

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21062 by Mr Tom McCabe on 20 December 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the cost of the mobile calls made by (a) ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in each of its departments in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The cost of calls made from mobile phones purchased by the Scottish Executive and used by Ministers, special advisors and officials in each year for which data is available is shown in the table below.

  

Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
(Jan to Sept)


Cost 
 N/A
N/A 
N/A 
 N/A
£90,425
£116,219
£75,711.17



  Expenditure on mobile phone calls was not recorded separately from other related expenditure prior to 2003. Central records of expenditure on mobile phone calls from 2003 do not provide a separate breakdown of the cost of calls made by ministers, special advisors and other officials.

NHS Prescriptions

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether paracetamol co-formulations, such as Paradote™, which contain methionine antidote are available in Scotland on NHS prescription.

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost would be to NHS Scotland of prescribing paracetamol co-formulations containing methionine, rather than formulations without any antidote.

Mr Andy Kerr: The licensing and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

  The MHRA has advised that a methionine containing paracetamol product (co-methiamol) is authorised in the UK as a pharmacy only product under the brand name Paradote. The addition of methionine may be helpful as an antidote if an overdose is taken. Methionine, however, has been associated with side effects of nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and irritability, and it may be harmful in the presence of liver disease. Furthermore, there is some evidence of a link between dietary methionine and risk of development of heart disease. The risk of such side effects is considered acceptable when balanced against the possible benefit of preventing the consequences of paracetamol overdose in patients at risk of exceeding the recommended dose. However incorporation of an antidote in all paracetamol products is considered inappropriate as the millions of people, who take paracetamol safely, as recommended, would be exposed to the possible side effects of methionine without any benefit.

NHS Staff

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Auditor General for Scotland’s comments to the Audit Committee on 13 December 2005 ( Official Report c. 1367) and the findings in his report, Overview of the performance of the NHS in Scotland 2004/05, how many consultant vacancies there were in NHS Western Isles on (a) 1 January 2005 and (b) 1 January 2006.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on staff in post in NHS Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce .

  Section B gives details of medical staff employed in NHS Scotland. In particular, tables B11 and B12 show the whole-time equivalent (WTE) and headcount number of consultant vacancies in NHS Western Isles, broken down by specialty. WTE adjusts headcount staff figures to take account of part-time staff. These vacancy figures are as at 30 September as part of the annual census. Figures for 1 January are not available centrally.

  The latest consultant vacancy figures for NHS Western Isles at 30 September 2005 show a total of 6.7 WTE.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19911 by Mr Andy Kerr on 7 November 2005, how many neurologists and specialist registrars working in neurology there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is contained in five tables entitled Medical Staff in Neurology by grade and NHS Board 2001-2005 a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38692).

NHS Waiting Times

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14562 by Mr Andy Kerr on 16 March 2005, what the most recent average waiting times are for a first out-patient appointment with a neurology consultant following referral by a GP, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHSScotland has made excellent progress in reducing long waits for patients. On 30 September 2005, the number of patients waiting more than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in neurology, following referral, was 986 compared with 1,841 on 30 September 2004 - a reduction of 46%.

  The number of first out-patient neurology appointments and the median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of neurology, following referral by a general medical practitioner, by NHS board of residence, in the year ended 30 September 2005, is given in the table.

  NHSScotland: Number of First Out-Patient Appointments and Median Waiting Times for a First Out-Patient Appointment with a Consultant in the Specialty of Neurology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board Area of Residence, Year Ended 30 September 2005P

  

NHS Board
Number of Appointments
Median Waits
(Days)


Argyll and Clyde
1,226
101


Ayrshire and Arran
547
95


Borders
323
100


Dumfries and Galloway
264
85


Fife
1,197
118


Forth Valley
671
74


Grampian
1,924
54


Greater Glasgow
3,750
92


Highland 
395
130


Lanarkshire
1,067
127


Lothian
4,758
36


Orkney
16
60*


Shetland
22
74*


Tayside
1,401
188


Western Isles
55
168


 
 
 


Scotland
17,616
83



  Source: SMR00, ISD Scotland.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  *Figures should be treated with caution as they are derived from a possible unrepresentatively small number of appointments (more than 14 but less than 50).

  Excludes patients with an Availability Status Code.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21640 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006 which refers to the "benefits to a nation from hosting the Olympic Games" as being "well established", how this relates to the Executive’s responsibility to represent the national interest of Scotland, given that no future Olympic Games assigned a host city is within Scotland.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive believes that the London Olympic Games are in the national interest of both the UK and Scotland and will work hard to ensure Scotland’s interests are taken into account in the planning for the 2012 games.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21640 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, to which nation the answer refers.

Patricia Ferguson: The answer refers to the United Kingdom. The Scottish Executive also believes Scotland will benefit from London 2012 for the reasons given in answers to S2W-21640 on 12 January 2006, S2W-17564 on18 July 2005, and S2W-17561 on 18 July 2005.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21644 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, how this indicates whether it has ruled out undertaking an independent and detailed assessment of the costs and benefits to Scotland of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has not ruled out the possibility of undertaking an independent and detailed assessment of the costs and benefits to Scotland of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who appointed Julia Bracewell as the Scottish representative on the Nations and Regions Group for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: I appointed Julia Bracewell as the Scottish representative on the Nations and Regions Group for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21876 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, how the Scottish Steering Group for London 2012 relates to the Nations and Regions Group.

Patricia Ferguson: The Nations and Regions Group is a UK level group which has been established to ensure that the London Olympic Games provide benefits to all nations and regions within the UK. Each nation and region represented on the Nations and Regions Group has been asked to form its own committee to consider how that particular nation or region will contribute to and benefit from London 2012. The Scottish Steering Group for London 2012 is the relevant committee for Scotland. Julia Bracewell, chair of sportscotland, chairs the Scottish Steering Group for London 2012 and is Scotland’s representative on the Nations and Regions Group.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21642 by Patricia Ferguson on 13 January 2006, whether this indicates that it has been given no indication that the decision of the Scottish Football Association not to participate in a British football team will lead to the withdrawal of Hampden Park as a venue for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The decision not to participate in a British football team is a matter for the SFA and the other home country football associations.

  The Scottish Executive has been informed by LOCOG that there is no change to the football venues outlined in the 2012 Candidate File which was submitted to the International Olympic Committee in November 2004.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics to assess the veracity of the statement allegedly made by a "senior figure" in the organisation team for that event in respect of the Scottish Football Association’s decision not to participate in a British football team, "Does this make us more inclined to forget about Hampden Park and consider other options? Sure it does, of course it does", as reported in The Scotsman on 12 November 2005.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has sought and received assurance that Hampden will be an Olympic venue as originally laid out in the bid document.

Planning

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how its proposals for planning reform will ensure that the public interest is protected in respect of maintaining the balance between out-of-town shopping centres and traditional town centre and village shops.

Malcolm Chisholm: The proposals for planning modernisation set out in the Planning Bill will give local people better opportunities to influence the planning decisions that affect them and their communities.

  In addition, we are in the process of revising National Planning Policy Guidance 8: Town Centres and Retailing which will take account of recent major changes in the retailing sector. The revised Scottish Planning Policy 8 will continue to support new retail development being located in town centres.

Rendition Flights

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will have any input into the contribution of the UK Government to the Council of Europe inquiry into allegations of secret detention and flights and, if so, what that input will be.

Cathy Jamieson: Scotland is represented on the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe by the UK Government. The Scottish Executive is happy to cooperate with the UK Government in the preparation of responses to such enquiries.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in respect of the request by the Council of Europe for its members to communicate any knowledge they have regarding the transfer of individuals across European borders by the CIA as part of the process of extraordinary rendition in respect of any such transfers occurring within Scottish jurisdiction.

Cathy Jamieson: Scotland is represented on the Council of Europe by the UK Government. The Scottish Executive will co-operate with the UK Government in the preparation of responses to such enquiries as required.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21582 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 December 2005, whether, during discussions with Her Majesty’s Government on the issue of US agencies using Scottish airports for refuelling for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation, it was made aware at any stage of the opinion expressed in a written memorandum to the Prime Minister that the papers found by those compiling the memorandum suggest the existence of more cases of US agencies requesting to use UK territory to facilitate rendition flights than those acknowledged by the Home Secretary, as reported by the BBC on 19 January 2006.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive does not comment on the status or handling of leaked documents.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many units have been installed under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (a) in total and (b) for each of the technologies supported.

Nicol Stephen: From its establishment in 2002 to date the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative has supported the installation of 351 units under the householder stream and 184 units under the Community stream. The breakdown by technology is as follows:

  


Technology 
Householder Stream
No. of Installations
Community Stream
No. of Installations


Solartechnologies
216
55


Wind 
19
65


Hydro
1
6


GroundSource Heat Pump
67
26


Biomass
11
27


Biofuels
 
2


DistrictHeating
37
 


CombinedTechnologies
 
3


Total
351
184

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost has been of each unit installed under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative, also broken down for each of the technologies supported.

The Executive has provided a corrected answer which is published in the written Answer Report on 29 June 2006: see http://scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-06/wa0629.htm

Renewable Energy

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative funds both Householder and Community projects. The average cost (based on total project costs) per unit installed under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative Householder stream is £5,649 and under the Community stream is £98,826. However, given the significant variation in scale between projects funded under the Community Stream, average figures are not meaningful so we have instead provided the project cost ranges.

  


Technology 
Householder Stream
Average Cost Per Unit
Community Stream
Cost Ranges 


Solar
£3,289
£3,528 - £132,000


Wind
£16,610
£16,950 - £45,514


Hydro
£10,876
£12,908 - £23,216


GroundSource Heat Pump
£11,039
£6,300 - £1,824,961


Biomass
£8,742
£9,131 - £530,566


Biofuels
 
£65,360 - £383,400


DistrictHeating
£2,975
£142,885 - £530,566


CombinedTechnologies
 
£3,443 - £880,083 



  Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of written evidence in respect of the safety implications of siting wind farms under air traffic routes from National Air Traffic Services Ltd to the Enterprise and Culture Committee’s Renewable Energy in Scotland inquiry, whether the Executive’s strategy to increase wind farms across Scotland, particularly in the central belt, may reach a point that compromises air passenger safety.

Allan Wilson: The safeguarding arrangements in the planning system in respect of aviation are there to ensure that no wind farm will be approved that would compromise air passengers.

Vaccines

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what risk assessment was carried out before the withdrawal of the schools BCG immunisation programme.

Mr Andy Kerr: The decision to withdraw the schools BCG immunisation programme was recommended by the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This advice was based on the latest scientific and epidemiological data.

  Evidence indicates that those at high-risk will be identified and targeted by a selective programme. The change to the immunisation programme brings us into line with the World Health Organisation’s international guidelines, and we have met the criteria set by the World Health Organisation to make the change.

Vaccines

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been put in place to check for tuberculosis since the withdrawal of the schools BCG immunisation programme.

Mr Andy Kerr: Measures to identify and reach children who are at risk of TB are outlined in the report produced by the short life working group convened by Health Protection Scotland available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38681). These measures will be delivered through health visiting services, practice nurses, school nursing services and initiatives determined by local co-ordinators.

Vaccines

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether further guidance will be issued to NHS boards in respect of arrangements for preventing tuberculosis, in light of the withdrawal of the schools BCG immunisation programme.

Mr Andy Kerr: There are no plans to issue further guidance at this stage. To support NHS Boards in adapting to the changes in the schools BCG immunisation programme, Health Protection Scotland convened a short life working group which included Health Scotland, clinicians, TB liaison nurses and Schools Medical Service. The group considered the operational issues and what support staff would need. As a result further guidance from the working group giving practical operational advice on implementation of policy locally was issued and is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38681).

Waste Management

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities in respect of reducing the amount of material going to landfill.

Ross Finnie: There have been extensive discussions with local authorities on this issue and waste management generally is frequently discussed at my regular meetings with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. We have provided authorities with significant resources through the Strategic Waste Fund to prevent waste arising, improve recycling and composting facilities and divert residual waste away from landfill and we have also asked local authorities to submit Strategic Outline Cases by the end of January on further proposals to divert waste away from landfill.

Water Supply

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the capacity is of the Coupar Angus wastewater treatment works.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what capacity of the Coupar Angus wastewater treatment works is not utilised.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the unutilised capacity of the Coupar Angus wastewater treatment works is accounted for by unused or derelict properties.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the utilisation of the Coupar Angus wastewater treatment works is industrial.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the utilisation of the Coupar Angus wastewater treatment works is domestic.

Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, how many of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters licensed trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.

Rhona Brankin: One licence was issued in 2004 to trap and relocate an otter in order to prevent serious damage to domestic poultry. The licence was ultimately not exercised as the otter did not re-appear at the site for which the licence was granted.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, how many of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters resulted in trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.

Rhona Brankin: None of the 30 licences mentioned above resulted in trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the numbers of each species listed that were killed under the licences issued.

Rhona Brankin: With reference to S2W-21599, the number of mountain hares killed under Scottish Executive licences since the year 2000 is 258. These licences were issued to prevent the spread of disease.

  The Executive has no knowledge of any other species having been killed under the licences to which the question relates.

Young People

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the provision of the additional secure accommodation places announced by the Minister for Education and Young People on 18 September 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: Good progress is being made in the provision of the additional secure places announced in 2002.

  St Phillips, which will provide 24 new places at Plains, Airdrie, is due to open in March 2006. The Good Shepherd Centre which will provide 18, girls only places, at Bishopton will open in June 2006.

  Kibble, which will provide 18 new places is currently under construction and is likely to open in early 2007. Rossie School, which will provide 18 re-developed places is nearing the end of the planning phase and will come on stream in 2007.